Elon Musk’s space venture, SpaceX, has countered U.S. government concerns about Starship development delays for humanity’s lunar return, asserting there are faster routes to reach the Moon.
SpaceX revealed on its official blog on Thursday that it’s proposing and evaluating a streamlined mission architecture to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), aimed at expediting and safeguarding the return to lunar surface.
This move comes as a response to NASA’s public pressure, stemming from fears of losing ground to China in the space race.
Acting NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe, who also serves as the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, publicly criticized SpaceX’s Starship development delays during a CNBC interview on October 20.
O’Keefe stressed the imperative of outpacing China, hinting at the possibility of opening up the 4.4 billion USD lunar lander development contract, inked with SpaceX in 2021, to competitive bidding from other aerospace firms.
NASA has already contracted lunar lander development not only with SpaceX but also with Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, signaling its readiness to consider faster alternatives.
In response, SpaceX has put forward a simplified mission architecture and operational concept to NASA, proposing that Starship single-handedly manage the entire lunar landing mission.
The current Artemis Phase 3 lunar exploration project involves NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket ferrying astronauts in the Orion capsule to lunar orbit, where they would rendezvous with Starship for the descent.
SpaceX contends that by having Starship handle all mission phases independently, they can significantly streamline operations, accelerate the lunar return timeline, and enhance crew safety.
For Starship to execute the complete lunar landing mission, in-space refueling technology is crucial. The massive spacecraft requires multiple fuel transfers in low Earth orbit to amass enough propellant for the Moon journey.
SpaceX has committed to demonstrating this in-space refueling capability next year, roughly two years behind NASA’s initial 2024 target.
To date, SpaceX has conducted 11 Starship test flights, pushing the boundaries of their technological development. However, it remains to be seen whether this latest proposal will satisfy the urgency felt by NASA and the U.S. government.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly underscored the importance of achieving a crewed lunar landing by 2027 through NASA’s Artemis program, aiming to outpace China’s 2030 target for a similar feat.